Man with 100-pound scrotum rejects free $1 million surgery offer

Las Vegas
-
Wesley Warren Jr., has a condition that resulted in his testicles developing a 100-pound growth. He has refused an offer to perform surgery for free. Critics say Warren is enjoying his celebrity status of "a man with the big balls."

According to The Las Vegas Review-Journal, Warren, from Las Vegas, said he turned down an offer by the "Dr. Oz Show" to pay for all costs of surgery and related care partly because they wanted exclusive interview rights. Yet, he vehemently denies that he rejected the offer becasue he is enjoying the media attention that the condition has brought him.

According to Warren, he rejected the offer also because he is afraid of undergoing the surgical procedure. He said: “Who would want to live like this? I just don’t want to die during the operation.” According to The Las Vegas Review-Journal, medical experts say the surgery comes with serious risks of complications, including death. Surgeons say there is significant risk that if they can't bring bleeding under control during surgery they may have to remove his testicles and penis completely.

Experts say Warren's condition is caused by a buildup of fluid around the testicles. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that warren's condition prevents him from securing long-term employment. It also makes using the bathroom a complex and delicate process.

Warren says things have not been easy since he developed the condition. He tried unsuccessfully to raise money for the surgical expenses in 2011 by creating a Facebook page. But responses to his appeal were mostly jeering and mocking.

In spite of Warren's denial that he is avoiding surgery because he is enjoying his new-found celebrity status, Daily Mail bluntly accuses him of allowing the attention to compromise his decision making about his health. Daily Mail comments that the attention is "proving so intoxicating that Wesley Warren Jr. turned down an offer to perform the $1 million corrective surgery for free because he would have had to give up the rights to his story."

The Review-Journal makes similar observations about Warren. According to the Review-Journal, Warren said, in response to an offer, “I’ll make a decision when I’m ready." The Review-Journal reporter comments that "The Wesley Warren of today does not act like the somber Wesley Warren I interviewed last fall. Rather than on the edge of tears, he's seemingly enjoying his celebrity. He reminds you he'll soon appear on The Learning Channel and that Fire Cracker Films of Great Britain signed him to a contract for a documentary."

Warren appeared on the Howard Stern Show and the Comedy Central program Tosh.0, and now he is a local celebrity in his hometown.

Firecracker Films, the company that made the movie "Big Fat Gypsy Weddings," has signed a contract to make a documentary about him.

According to Daily Mail, only six months ago, Warren, 47, was anxious to raise money for the surgical operation to correct his condition. He told The Review-Journal, "I don't like being a freak, who would?"

Daily Mail reports that last October, he spoke emotionally of the humiliation he has suffered. He also said he has suffered bouts of depression and health complications.Warren wears a hooded sweatshirt on his legs when he walks to contain the gigantic scrotum. His penis is buried so deeply in the mass of his scrotum that he urinates on himself.

Daily Mail reports that after Warren became a celebrity, he grinned as he told a reporter about his appearance on Tosh.O, "It was fun going to Los Angeles in the big van they sent for me."

Daily Mail comments that his reaction to Dr Mehmet Oz's offer is disturbing. Oz said he would pay for the entire surgery at a top hospital, but his show would get exclusive rights to tell Mr. warren's story. Warren said he rejected the offer becasue Howard Stern wanted him to appear on his show again.

Daily Mail, however, acknowledges that Warren may be genuinely afraid of undergoing the surgical procedure because of the complications that could develop. The Review-Journal reports that when Dr Joel Gelman of the University of California suggested that Warren needs a psychiatrist to help him overcome his fear of surgery, Warren answered: "No way, I'd drive a psychiatrist insane. I'll make a decision when I'm ready."

Warren's condition is called scrotal elephantiasis or lymphedema. NY Daily News reports that Warren recalls that his condition began in 2008 when he was turning on his bed and accidentally squashed his testicles. He told The Review Journal, “It was like a shooting pain through my entire body. When it stopped, it was like a huge tractor trailer went off the top of me.”